[SirThrivalist]

I've taken to compiling what I believe would make good tinder now every chance I get.
Working on a construction site, I have tons of sawdust that I can take.
I also just got a batch of bamboo brush that seems to catch a flame quick,
but burn slowly so I'm looking into seeing if I can store some of that bunch.

I'm sure it's been asked to death already, but any other ideas for "free" tinder?

 

[The Passenger]

Dryer lint from the local laundromat...plus your own dryer if you have one.

And junk mail.

Plus any scrap wood I have, like 2x4s, that are not useful to me, I scrape down with a hatchet and turn into tinder. I have quite a bit of Tinder in my tactical gear bags, plus a good stockpile.

 

[SirThrivalist]

Dryer lint from the local laundromat...plus your own dryer if you have one.

And junk mail.

Plus any scrap wood I have, like 2x4s, that are not useful to me, I scrape down with a hatchet and turn into tinder. I have quite a bit of Tinder in my tactical gear bags, plus a good stockpile.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, my wife saves all the drier lint. :
I have a shopping bag's worth right now.

[we have 3 little girls and a lot of clothes to wash...great source there]

And boy do I have access to scrap 2X's. I have containers full.

 

[1stcavmp77]

Cedar tree bark and bird nests if you can find them or get to them make great tinder.

 

[Dougzilla]

I use cedar hamster bedding. Its bone dry, burns great, and lights easily.
It wasnt free, but 2 square feet of it compressed was only a couple dollars and will probably last forever.

 

[SirThrivalist]

I use cedar hamster bedding. Its bone dry, burns great, and lights easily.
It wasnt free, but 2 square feet of it compressed was only a couple dollars and will probably last forever.

Got some of that too (hamster bedding).

 

[suburbanite]

if you are in a farming area, try the trailings left behind after a harvest. dried out cornstalks and soy bean plants catch fire quite easy

 

[Scoutmaster316]

We go hiking through the woods and gather up a few handfuls of Spanish Moss or Old Man's Beard. I take it home and hang it from the rafters in the garage until it is bone dry, then put it into a ziplock bag. It is excellent tinder.

Cedar bark strips also work. I only take wood that is dead, then let it dry thoroughly under cover.

I am thinking about doing some of that charcloth from old t-shirts that have been turned into rag material. Just need to set up the camp stove and put them into a tin with a hole punched in it. Seems like a pretty easy process for something that is otherwise throwaway material.

 

[1stcavmp77]

We go hiking through the woods and gather up a few handfuls of Spanish Moss or Old Man's Beard. I take it home and hang it from the rafters in the garage until it is bone dry, then put it into a ziplock bag. It is excellent tinder.

Cedar bark strips also work. I only take wood that is dead, then let it dry thoroughly under cover.

I am thinking about doing some of that charcloth from old t-shirts that have been turned into rag material. Just need to set up the camp stove and put them into a tin with a hole punched in it. Seems like a pretty easy process for something that is otherwise throwaway material.

It's very easy and a great way to recycle old t shirts.

 

[Davefromva]

After playing with many other types of tender in wet conditions and in actual rain over the years, I have narrowed my tinder choices down to these 2 items.

Jute Twine dipped in paraffin wax and an inter-tube from a bicycle tire. Both will light and burn well even if soaking wet and will burn long enough to get a fire going in wet conditions.

The reason I have chosen these 2 as my main tender to bring along with me is because if they manage to become drenched in water, it will not hinder the effectiveness of the tinder to start a fire.

This is not to say that other types of tinder are not as effective as these but merely just my preference.

 

[SirThrivalist]

Lots of great tips. Thanks. Keep'em comin.

Jute Twine dipped in paraffin wax and an inter-tube from a bicycle tire. Both will light and burn well even if soaking wet and will burn long enough to get a fire going in wet conditions.

The reason I have chosen these 2 as my main tender to bring along with me is because if they manage to become drenched in water, it will not hinder the effectiveness of the tinder to start a fire.

Ranger Bands prove themselves again to be a must have in every kit.

 

[Eagle Scout Dan]

no cedar tree is safe from me

 

[Gray Man]

The best natural tinder/firestarter I've found is birch bark. That stuff is like solidified gasoline.

 

[fuze]

I've got a Dewalt Planer that makes sawdust like no other !

Plane out a few pieces of lumber and you've got a lifetime supply...

 

[SirThrivalist]

I've got a Dewalt Planer that makes sawdust like no other !

Plane out a few pieces of lumber and you've got a lifetime supply...

I'm building about 8 townhouses now.
Got all the saw dust I could handle!
:

 

[phoenix]

Jute Twine dipped in paraffin wax and an inter-tube from a bicycle tire. Both will light and burn well even if soaking wet and will burn long enough to get a fire going in wet conditions.

And if you pre-light the jute, it will actually take a spark too, something like char cloth. The best part about both of these is that they both serve many other purposes. This is not usually the case with fire-kit.

Waxed jute makes great fine cordage because the wax makes it slide over itself well, and gives it a little memory too. Apply a little heat to a lashing done up with waxed jute and it smooths it out. It also acts as a really weak glue between loops in the lash. If you wax it while wound, it also keeps your jute from unraveling and knotting on itself in storage. Its great stuff.

 

[Vanishing Nomad]

I keep Jute twine in my fire kit to make an emergency tinder bundle.

 

[SirThrivalist]

LOL
So funny.
I kid you not.
I just found about 10' of Jute Twine in my truck!
Tinder tinder everywhere! Tinder here! Tinder there!

On another note, my bamboo brush is drying up nicely.
Can't wait to work it into tinder and experiment with it.

 

[Vanishing Nomad]

One thing I do on every hike now, is collect tinder. Halfway through my hike, I pull all the material out of my BDU pocket, make a tinder bundle, and light it with a ferro rod.

Oddly, I am finding the best tinder often grows in swampy, or waters edge kind of areas. I don't know why, but I find that sort of weird.

 

[SirThrivalist]

One thing I do on every hike now, is collect tinder. Halfway through my hike, I pull all the material out of my BDU pocket, make a tinder bundle, and light it with a ferro rod.

Oddly, I am finding the best tinder often grows in swampy, or waters edge kind of areas. I don't know why, but I find that sort of weird.

That's really interesting.